Spurs face Vuskovic dilemma after £52m Van Hecke deal
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- Tottenham agreed a £52m deal with Brighton to sign centre-back Jan Paul van Hecke, a Netherlands international who played 50 matches under Roberto De Zerbi at Brighton between 2023 and 2024.
- Brighton had two bids rejected for Spurs' 19-year-old Luka Vuskovic, with their latest offer of £35m unlikely to be improved immediately; the Croatian established himself at Hamburg and wants regular first-team football rather than another loan.
- Vuskovic could now be Spurs' fifth-choice centre-back behind Van Hecke, Marcos Senesi (already signed), Cristian Romero, and Micky van de Ven, mirroring Arsenal's handling of William Saliba, who had three Ligue 1 loans before being integrated.
- Brighton negotiated a 20% sell-on clause in the Van Hecke deal, set to make a major profit on the £1.8m they paid NAC Breda in 2020; Van Hecke has one year left on his contract.
- De Zerbi's transfer plan targets ball-playing centre-backs, with analysis showing Senesi and Van Hecke ranked as the Premier League's top two last season for bypassing defenders by passing.
- Tottenham also retain interest in Newcastle's Sandro Tonali and Manchester City's Savinho as they back De Zerbi after keeping the club up.
Why it matters: A £52m commitment to Van Hecke reshapes Spurs' centre-back hierarchy immediately, pushing one of Europe's most highly-rated teenage defenders toward the exit and forcing Brighton — who want him but refuse to overpay — into a standoff. With Romero's future still uncertain, Spurs effectively need a sale to fund the rest of De Zerbi's rebuild.
